Sugar Ban versus ADHD

I always giggled when I saw posts about parents giving their kids healthy, organic, sugarless food and looked at my E numbered fuelled bribed toddler and was like they do what we all do secretly right?

A bag of Haribo to keep them quiet during the weekly shop.

A tube of Smarties when I picked him up from nursery.

The mid-morning biscuit treat.

Afternoon cake.

And all the other rubbish that somehow made its way into my toddler’s diet, most of the time to either keep him quiet whilst I sort his brother out or to just avoid a full-blown meltdown.

Except, the tantrums were more and more frequent, and it became a common occurrence that Elijah was vomiting sometimes a couple of times a day. Including in his sleep which he promptly went back to sleep in for the night. He was quite literally bouncing off the walls and it was beginning to affect Elijah and his Dad’s relationship, with me playing referee. So, I considered it after a family member said they thought he had ADHD (this also runs in Greg’s family) and decided before we would take him to the Doctors we would try something.

We would ban sugar.

I was scared, very scared about how this would go down with what I can only call the sugar addict of the family. Would he flat out refuse the food and snacks we had pre-planned for him and starve? Would he go on hunger strike? Was I strong enough to hold out? Would he drink water and not the sugar filled juice we usually gave him? Was this going to be one massive disaster?

After I researched foods to avoid, what to cut out I planned from now on, it was fruit, wholemeal and no juice, chocolate or sweets. We told Elijah the night before and he didn’t seem to believe us. Off he trotted to bed only to come down to our new healthy breakfast alternative which after some quibbles he ate the whole lot up. It seemed if he knew what he was getting at snack or meal times in advance he would be okay.

In the couple of weeks, we have been doing this he has only had a couple of tantrums normally in shops when we say no to Kinder Eggs! We have let him have the very occasional treat but the difference in him happened almost instantly.

He was calmer, he listened more and just seemed so different. The days went on and it stayed the same, it wasn’t a fluke it was like he was a different little boy! Of course, being 3 of course there will be times where he has a tantrum, doesn’t listen and is a bit crazy but laying of the sugar has made the house a lot calmer.

So, hay guess what it seems sugar really is bad for you, who would have believed it?!

P.s me and Greg are yet to give it up and have a secret treat box on top of the cupboard!